Expanding a Single Bracket

Sarah Allott
www.drfrost.org
@DrFrostMaths

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Last modified: 18th December 2024 in England and Wales (no 1194954)
Teacher Notes
Prerequisite Knowledge Representations Used Future Links
• Equivalent fractions and • Algebra tiles • Expanding two or more
simplest form • Area model brackets
• Negative numbers and • Grid method for • Factorisation into a
arithmetic multiplication single bracket
• Basic algebraic notation • Binomial expansion
• Collecting like terms
• Basic index laws
– numerical including
use of zero powers
and negative powers
– algebraic including
zero powers only

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you further Test Your Understanding opportunities. (e.g. drfrost.org/s/123a)

Skills in this Lesson

252 Expanding a single bracket

252a Expand a single bracket with a positive integer on the front.

252b Expand a single bracket with a negative integer on the front.

252c Expand a single bracket with an algebraic term at the front.

252d Expand a single bracket with each term involving one variable or constant, using index laws.

252e
252f Expand a single bracket with each term involving multiple variables or constants, using index
laws.
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Contents
For lessons covering many concepts, please click the below to navigate quickly to
the relevant part of the lesson.

Prerequisite Knowledge Check

Expanding a Single Bracket with an integer multiplier

Expanding a Single Bracket with an algebraic multiplier

More Complex Terms Outside the Bracket

Using Laws of Indices when Expanding

Extending to More Terms Inside the Bracket

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in England and Wales (no 1194954)
 Show all
Prerequisite Knowledge Check solutions

1 1
1 Calculate: 2 Simplify:
z z
a a ?
?
b ? b ?
c ? c ?
d ? d ?
e ? 3 Simplify:
f ? a ?
g ? b ?
h ? c ?
i ? d ?
j ? e ?
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket
Without using a column multiplication procedure, calculate the area of
the rectangle shown below.

28cm

20cm 8cm

7cm

We can split this rectangle into two smaller areas; this How else could we split
makes the calculation easier. the area to make our
calculations easier?
? Would this still work if
we split it into more
The area of the rectangle is 196cm2. than two pieces?
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket
How might we find the area of this rectangle?

8cm

7cm

?
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket
When we multiply a term by an algebraic expression, we call this
expanding a bracket.
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket
We don’t have to draw our rectangles to scale to achieve the same result.
We can use a grid model instead.

Split the expression in the bracket up We multiply the term in the

using the addition or subtraction signs. It first column by each term in the
is important that each sign stays with the first row.
next term (e.g. +4). You’ll see why soon!
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket
We don’t even have to draw a grid,
we can simply use algebraic notation to expand a bracket.
The Big Idea: Expanding a Single Bracket

Which method do you prefer?

Which method would be the most efficient in the long run?
Which method is useful to ‘fall back on’?
Example Test Your Understanding

? ?

? ? ? ? ?

? ?

drfrost.org/s/ 252a
Quickfire Questions

1 2

b c
b
d e f

g h
Example
When there are negatives inside and/or outside the bracket, we just need
to be a little more careful. The process stays the same.
Example
When there are negatives inside and/or outside the bracket, we just need
to be a little more careful. The process stays the same.

Remember, we prefer
positive coefficients to
come first in expressions.
We can reorganise as
multiplication and
addition are
commutative.
Quickfire Questions
a b

? ?

c d

? ?
Fractional Multipliers

Remember: Multiplying
by 1/2 is the same as
dividing by 2.

We need two of these thirds, so double the number

of parts.
Fractional Multipliers
We can still use our grid method or algebraic
method to model these problems too.
Quickfire Questions
a b

? ?

c d

?
?
Example
There can also be an algebraic term outside of the bracket too. Again, we
just need to be a little more careful.
Example
When the term outside of the bracket is a different variable to the terms
inside the bracket, we just multiply them together normally.
Quickfire Questions drfrost.org/s/ 252c

a b

? ?
?
? ?

?
c d

? ? ?
Who is correct?

Viktor expanded the bracket first,

then simplified.

Viktor is correct.
Basma worked from left to right,
addingOrder
the 6 of
and 8 first before
operations still holds in algebraic expansions too!
Weexpanding.
have to expand the brackets first and then simplify.
 Show all
Exercise 1 (Available as a separate worksheet) solutions

1 Fill in the blanks in the table below. 2 Expand and, where

necessary, simplify:
Question Working Out Final Answer
a ?
?
? b ?
? ?
c ?
? ?
d ?
? ?
e ?
? ? f ?
g ?
? ?
h ?
? ?
i ?

? ?
 Show all
Exercise 1 (Available as a separate worksheet) solutions

3
?
4

?
5

☠ ?
The Big Idea: More Complex Terms Outside the Bracket

Top Tip: when multiplying algebraic terms,

decompose each term under multiplication and
commute to make the multiplication easier.
The Big Idea: More Complex Terms Outside the Bracket
Quickfire Questions
a b

? ?

c d

? ?
The Big Idea: Using Laws of Indices when Expanding

Top Tip: you can do this in your head by

multiplying the coefficients and then multiplying
the algebraic parts using the laws of indices.
Example Test Your Understanding

? ?

? ? ? ? ?

? ?

drfrost.org/s/ 252d
The Big Idea: Extending to More Terms in a Bracket

It doesn’t matter how many terms

appear in the bracket; we simply
multiply each term inside the
bracket by the term that is outside
the bracket.
Example Test Your Understanding

? ? ? ?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

? ?

drfrost.org/s/ 252e
Quickfire Questions
a b

? ?

c d

? ?
 Show all
Exercise 2 (Available as a separate worksheet) solutions

1 Expand and, where necessary, simplify:

a ? j ?
b ? k ?
c ? l ?
d ? m ?

e ? n ?
o
f ?
?
g ?
p
h ?
?
i
?
 Show all
Exercise 2 (Available as a separate worksheet) solutions

2
?

3 a ?
b ?
c ?

?
 Show all
Exercise 2 (Available as a separate worksheet) solutions

Need a hint? Click here!

? Collect like terms inside the bracket

? Expand the bracket to ‘halve’.

?
?